Chapter 98
“Ah! I nearly committed a grave discourtesy to my benefactor. If you don't mind, would you attend the banquet before I make my request?”
... An invitation from a Demon King.
Maybe it's just my prejudice, but something about it feels a little dubious. Still, why not?
And if it isn't all right?
I can just wipe them out and leave.
“All right.”
“Thank you so much.”
Demon King Gremory clasped her hands together, her face brightening as she smiled radiantly.
I did feel a little like I was being bewitched.
Just in case, I didn't trust my own senses and relied on the senses of my scattered legion.
Getting caught by something like an illusionist once was enough.
Speaking of which, could I make some kind of barrier that would protect me mentally, too?
Whether it was an item or some kind of bacteria...
I should look into it.
“Now, climb in over here.”
The Demon King offered me the seat beside her in the carriage... no, dog-drawn carriage.
This is awkward.
“I'll sit across from you.”
“... All right.”
What was that? She seemed to pout a little.
Must've been my imagination.
I hopped into the carriage, and when I went inside...
“... It's more spacious inside than I expected.”
There was a space of nearly thirty-three square meters.
Could we apply this kind of technology in Seoul?
Real estate prices are already insane... This could make a killing.
“It's magic from the Demon Realm, difficult for humans to imitate.”
“... I see.”
As expected, nothing's easy.
“By the way, how did you end up struggling with that robot... no, Helltaker?”
“Sigh...”
The moment she heard my question, she let out a deep sigh and held her head...
“Would it be all right if I had a drink before I tell you?”
“... Go ahead.”
What is this, straight soju or something?
In other words, she had a hard enough time that she couldn't talk about it without drinking.
She pulled a bottle of liquor out of thin air, drained several glasses in a row, then continued with a small sigh.
“He was a human.”
“A human?”
“Yes. Until then.”
If he was human until then, did that mean he wasn't human now?
“He said he'd come to investigate something and asked my permission, so I let him. I'm a ruler who's friendly toward humans, after all. I sometimes rescue humans who fall through gaps into the Demon Realm and send them back outside, and I treated others who came out of curiosity with kindness, too.”
“But...”
“After he left, that existence suddenly appeared. My palace and my entire domain were laid to waste. It went around several other domains after that, but... none suffered damage as great as mine.”
Could the person she said was human have been...?
─ T h e . g r e a t . m a s t e r . T h a t . i s . h i m.
Greed answered my question immediately.
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
Wait, you mean that really was the constellation guy?
Why did you do that, Constellation?
And what the hell were you doing, Greed?
─ I . m e r e l y . c o v e t e d.
Coveted?
─ T h e r e . a r e . m a n y . H e l l s t o n e s. T h e y . a r e . g o o d . m a t e r i a l.
Hearing Greed's continued explanation, I understood what had happened.
The constellation guy had acquired part of Greed's colony, collected a little Hellstone with it, and then left. But in the process, part of the colony had been left behind in the Demon Realm.
And it had spent over a thousand years carrying out the order to mine Hellstone endlessly.
Moreover, after its colony had grown enough to wield considerable power...
It must have found the easiest way.
Why bother searching for veins?
It'd be easiest to get supplies by destroying buildings made of high-purity Hellstone.
That constellation old man... seems to have caused a lot of trouble all over the place.
I'm almost afraid to think how much more trouble he might've caused.
And now I felt bad for Gremory for no reason.
Her kindness had come back to bite her...
I should grant her pretty much any request she made.
The constellation guy was practically my teacher, so it was only right that I repay his debt, too.
“Well, we've arrived.”
While I was thinking, we had already arrived at Gremory's palace.
When I got out of the carriage...
A tremendously enormous palace stood before me.
The interior wasn't lavish, but had an elegant feel.
“Sigh... A palace without a single piece of Hellstone. This is really the first time anyone's seen it. My dignity as a ruler is in tatters.”
I'm sorry...
So you didn't choose to be modest.
“You should have some Hellstone left over from dealing with that thing, so you can use that.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“So, about the main issue...”
“I've prepared a banquet for now, so please enjoy yourself.”
What on earth was she going to ask me to do, for her to go this far?
They say you fatten a pig before slaughtering it...
Was the request really that difficult?
Just then.
[Epic Saga Quest, ‘Gremory's Ambition,’ has been issued.]
[Epic Saga Quest 1/70, ‘Gremory's Banquet Invitation,’ has been completed.]
An Epic Saga Quest?!
[An Epic Saga Quest is a quest that requires you to complete a series of complex quests, 50 stages or more.]
[You do not need to complete each step in a single visit, and even when you leave the Gate, the current quest taker retains control of the Gate, preventing others from entering.]
[When you leave the Gate, progress is temporarily paused, and the quest will resume when you re-enter.]
[No rewards will be given until all quests have been completed.]
... One thing was certain: this was a quest unlike anything that had ever appeared in the world.
I'd never seen anything like this on Hunter Wiki, either.
I understood that I could leave and re-enter, and that nobody else could enter while I was gone.
But still...
There were far too many problems.
First problem.
This was currently a Stage 68 Gate.
Which meant that if I left, I might need to be Level 68 to re-enter.
Second problem.
Even if that was resolved, this was North Korean territory.
I'd managed to get in this time by causing a bit of a stir...
But I didn't know if I'd be able to keep crossing into North Korea to enter.
Third... Never mind...
What was the point of constantly pointing out problems?
Since it said I could pause my progress for now, I should do as much as I could.
Then, since the first quest was the banquet invitation...
I just had to enjoy myself?
“Children, come in.”
When Gremory clapped her hands softly, dozens of women filed in.
They were all stunningly beautiful—if not quite as beautiful as Gremory, then still beautiful enough that someone on the street might ask them to become celebrities.
“Oh my, is he human?”
“A human? It's been a long time since that ungrateful person.”
“He's the one who gave Lady Gremory such a hard time.”
They seemed a little hostile.
... I feel called out.
“He's a benefactor of our Demon Realm, so treat him with respect.”
At Gremory's words, everyone smiled brightly and crowded around me.
“You should've said so sooner.”
“Welcome to Lady Gremory's domain!”
“Would you like a drink first? Or... m.e?”
A drink?
As a brewer, I couldn't turn that down.
“Just give me a drink.”
I wonder what kind of liquor a Demon King drinks.
At my response, Gremory smiled warmly and handed me a glass she had taken out of thin air.
“Here you are.”
Then she poured it with a bottle that appeared from thin air as well.
“It's a liquor distilled from a special fruit that grows only in my domain.”
Hmm, Hell... that is, does the Demon Realm have yeast, too?
If it's any good, it might be nice to collect the fruit or yeast and take them with me.
The better the quality, the higher the rate at which Nectar forms.
I drank it with that hope in mind, but...
“Urgh.”
The moment I drank it, my breath caught in my throat.
What is this?
This isn't liquor. It's practically poison.
The fruit's grassy smell hadn't been removed at all, and came through as is...
And it was pointlessly strong.
It was like they'd failed to discard the foreshots, leaving the methanol in.
I'd probably be guaranteed a hangover if I drank this.
Of course, there was a little fruit aroma, but it was nothing compared to Earth's.
“How is it? Is it good?”
“I-it's delicious.”
“Really? I'm so glad! Another glass...”
No, if I kept drinking this, I'd die before the quest or anything else.
No wonder it was called the liquor of Hell.
I waved my hands and hurriedly said,
“I-it's fine.”
“It doesn't suit your taste?”
Completely dejected, she let out a soft sigh.
“Actually, humans don't have a very good opinion of it... so I was worried.”
“No, actually...”
I had no choice.
“I was going to serve you some liquor I'd made, too...”
“Oh my, you brew liquor as well?”
“Yes.”
And I'm a real professional at it.
This time, with Frost's advice, I took the original Heavenly from my inventory, whose Nectar content had risen to 0.5%.
“Would you like to try it?”
“Of course! I haven't had much liquor from the surface, but it's always been delicious.”
I bet.
Compared to the liquor here, just about anything would be heavenly.
Calling this stuff liquor...
Gremory held her glass in both hands like a puppy waiting for its meal, her eyes sparkling at me.
I smiled wryly and filled her glass.
I filled my own glass, too.
I had to cleanse my tainted mouth.
“I haven't even repaid my benefactor, and now I'm getting to drink your liquor again. My debt just keeps growing.”
Smiling warmly, she clinked her glass against mine and took a sip of Heavenly.
... How does the divine liquor taste?
Would it work on a Demon King, too?
She'd been savoring it for a while when...
“... Gasp!”
Her eyes widened as she stared at the liquor, then she gulped it down in one go.
And right at that moment...
[Epic Saga Quest 44/70, ‘In Search of the Demon God's Power,’ has been completed.]
[With Quest 44 complete, Quests 1–43 are considered complete.]
“... Huh?”
She grabbed my bewildered hand and cried out in a trembling voice,
“H-how?! I can feel His power in your liquor!”
“His?”
“The power of the Demon God (魔神), ruler of the Demon Realm and a god!”
... So when a Demon King drinks it, Nectar becomes the Demon God's power?
“Please, give me more. I'm begging you.”
[Epic Saga Quest 52/70, ‘Replenish the Demon God's Power,’ continues.]
[Because the quest was completed in a way different from the usual method, Quests 45–51 will not proceed.]
[Replenish Gremory with sufficient Demon God's power.]
“I mean, giving you some liquor isn't a problem.”
Alcoholism is scary...
And so, she didn't smile with satisfaction until she'd polished off all five bottles of the original Heavenly I had left.
Do you know how much one bottle of that costs?
I hope the reward is good...
[Epic Saga Quest 52/70, ‘Replenish the Demon God's Power,’ has been completed.]
Come to think of it, at first I wondered when I'd ever finish all 70 quests.
Why had I already made it to 52 before I knew it?
As I let out a hollow laugh...
“Haaah... I am brimming with the Demon God's power... Haaah...”
Gremory seemed completely out of it as she staggered over and clung to me.
I barely pried her off and shook my head.
Even if she was a Demon King, she'd practically chugged five bottles of that strong stuff.
And without even having a snack.
There was no way she was in her right mind.
Fortunately...
A faint green glow began swirling around her, and she smiled, looking much better.
“Haa... That was an absolutely fantastic feeling.”
“Are you all right after getting drunk?”
“Yes. I'm a Demon King with the power of healing. I recovered from the effects of the alcohol faster. I could have avoided getting drunk, but it would have been rude to drink liquor containing the Demon God's power and not get drunk.”
Was that a thing, too?
“But I really don't know how I could ever repay you for this kindness now...”
Gremory let out a deep sigh.
“Even my own body...”
“I'll pass.”
I like humans, you see. Not Demon Kings.
Of course, this Demon King lady is pretty incredible, too.
Still, I do feel some resistance.
Despite my refusal, she smiled warmly and said,
“I don't know if it's a gift suited to my benefactor, but... I could share my power with you.”
“Your power?”
“Yes. Of course, its effect will be greatly diminished if you leave the Demon Realm... but thanks to you, my power has grown tremendously, so the power you receive from me should be stronger, too.”
Well, if it's an ability, there's no way I'd turn it down.
“All right.”
“Even though I'm so insignificant, thank you for accepting my power, benefactor.”
She bowed her head and took something like a small orb from her bosom, then handed it to me.
It was a very pretty orb, with green and pink lights swirling inside.
“If you eat it, you'll gain my power.”
“What power is it?”
“As a Demon King, I possess two powers. One is the power of healing.”
I just saw that.
Yes, healing was something I needed, too.
I could treat external injuries to an extent, but I couldn't actually heal them.
“The other is the power of charm.”
“Charm...?”
“Of course, that power is limited to me. If this power manifests fully and you complete its awakening, you'll be able to freely manipulate other people's emotions, too.”
“Don't tell me my emotions, too...”
Surely not?
“Absolutely not! How could I dare do that to my benefactor...”
“If not, then fine.”
“Ahem.”
“Then what exactly is a power of charm that can't be used to charm people for?”
“Actually, this power starts with completely controlling and correcting your own emotions. Only after that can you interfere with the emotions of others.”
“... That means...”
Could it be that thing I'd thought I needed earlier...?
“Yes, you can think of it as the power of a mental barrier.”
... Exactly what I needed.
Looks like I've gained an ability even more important than the power of Charm, which Pride can replace.